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Higher qualifications for SA teachers

ELEANOR HALL: While the Federal Government vows to renegotiate its deals with the states on funding schools, the South Australian Government is looking at changes to improve the standards of teaching.

The State Labor Government is proposing that students complete a five year course to qualify as a teacher, that would include a Masters degree.

Teaching associations say they support the plan, but that higher standards of training should also attract better salaries.

In Adelaide, Caroline Winter reports.

CAROLINE WINTER: It's the latest push from the State Government to attract the best and brightest to South Australia's teaching stock.

JAY WEATHERILL: The single biggest determinant of outcomes for children at school is the quality of teaching. Beyond what they get at home in the years leading up to school, it's the quality of classroom teaching that makes all the difference and so we want the highest standards possible so we can give the best opportunity for our children to learn.

CAROLINE WINTER: Premier Jay Weatherill believes that can be achieved by more study.

Incentives are being tried in other states to attract the best new teachers. From offering cadetships, internships and rural scholarships to student teachers in New South Wales, to providing easier entry to study teaching for those from diverse backgrounds in Victoria.

Now the South Australian Government is proposing that from 2020, students will need to complete a three year specialty bachelor's degree, plus a two year master's degree to become a high school teacher. Premier Jay Weatherill again.

JAY WEATHERILL: We want to lift the status of the teaching profession, so that we have people aspiring not necessarily just to be engineers or doctors or lawyers, but to actually see teaching as the pinnacle of the profession.

CAROLINE WINTER: Could a two year master degree on top of a regular degree be seen as a bit of overkill for a teacher?

JAY WEATHERILL: Absolutely not. What we want are the highest possible standards. I mean this is a profession that really does require an enormous amount of skill and capability. We don't want teaching to be one of those degrees that people just choose when they can't get into anything else.

CAROLINE WINTER: The Australian Education Union supports the model, which will bring South Australia on par with Finland.

But South Australian President, Correna Haythorpe, says higher qualifications should attract higher pay.

CORRENA HAYTHORPE: We want South Australia to be seen as a world leader in education so we are supportive of the initiative. We are aware however that there will be costs and certainly some salary discussions that would need to happen and we'll take those matters up in enterprise bargaining in 2015.

CAROLINE WINTER: Depending on experience, teachers in South Australia are paid on average between $61,000 and $89,000 a year.

The union wouldn't be drawn on how much more they'd expect teachers to earn under the new scheme.

But Correna Haythorpe says scholarships being offered to 240 teachers already in schools to undertake a master's degree, would help ease the extra cost.

CORRENA HAYTHORPE: I think this will lift the profile in terms of the teacher profession. And we would hope that it is seen as an incentive. There will be funding provided for scholarships for students. We would hope that people embrace the opportunity to have additional education qualifications and that there will be long term benefit for the students in South Australia.

CAROLINE WINTER: Steve Portlock is the head of the Primary Principals Association in SA.

He supports the plan, but thinks there could be a hard sell at the start.

STEVE PORTLOCK: I think the short term answer, that maybe yes, it may be a deterrent. But the long term answer I think is that if we can raise the status of teaching and teachers and people can feel as though going into the profession of teaching is a long term occupation that's well paid, that's highly regarded in the community, then I think we'll actually attract more people into teaching.

CAROLINE WINTER: He says a Masters degree should provide a combination of theory and practical training for students. The plan would put South Australia out of kilter with the rest of the country.

So just how the change would translate for teachers moving between states and territories is yet to be nutted out.